


But I Didn't Ask You To

by Justanotherfangirl



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: 5 things 1 thing, Blood, Gen, Injury, Violence, everyone loves each other and it's Good, i try not to get too graphic, is that a real tag? Who knows, let me know and I can put a warning, team as a family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-07 04:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11051325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justanotherfangirl/pseuds/Justanotherfangirl
Summary: Five times Magnus puts himself in harm's way to protect his friends, and one time he lets himself be protected.





	1. Taako

**Author's Note:**

> As always feedback is encouraged!! Also if the story gets too graphic I'll change the warning, I wasn't too sure, just let me know.

Of course, Magnus didn't _enjoy _putting himself in harms way. He hated it, actually. Being hurt _sucked _.____

__

__

____

____

But when he saw his friends in danger, he just couldn't stop himself. If he got hurt protecting them, it was okay. It was better for him to be hurt than someone he cared about, because he could handle it; he would be okay, and his friends wouldn't have to suffer.

This train of thought flashed through Magnus's brain in a split second as he saw one of the bandits they were fighting approach Taako from the back and raise his sword.

Magnus rushed in, of course.

The sword came down, and the pain was immediate and sharp. He gasped, clutching his stomach with one hand as he clumsily dispatched the bandit with his ax. The bandit collapsed to the ground (in two pieces) right before Magnus slumped to his knees, grabbing at his bleeding stomach.

"Shit, what the fuck man?" Taako shouted, fumbling for something to stanch the bleeding with and shouting for Merle. Magnus closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Merle would heal him soon, and it wouldn't be a big deal. He could handle this. This pain was nothing, he would deal with a hundred times this if it meant that his friends- that Taako-

_Smack! ___

____

____

Magnus's eyes flew open and he brought a heavy hand to his face. It stung. Taako's hand was upraised. He looked so furious that Magnus panicked for a split second, desperately wracking his brain for what he could have done wrong. Then he realized what that upraised hand must mean.

"You-you slapped me! You fuckin-"

"Shut up and stay awake," Taako snapped, pressing down harder on Magnus's wound and eliciting a pained yelp. It was really starting to hurt, Magnus observed through a haze of pain. Where the hell was Merle? He felt his eyes start to drift closed again.

Taako sighed in exasperation. "Hey. Don't make me slap you again," he said. "Stay awake, idiot."

Magnus was a little taken aback. It might just be the blood loss affecting his brain, but Taako seemed really pissed about something. Magnus blinked open his eyes and looked at Taako to snap back, but he froze. He saw- tears. Actual, literal, honest-to-Pan tears forming at the corners of Taakos's eyes.

Was he crying... for him? Taako Taaco, who's never shown an emotion besides disgust and contempt in the whole time Magnus had known him, crying because he was injured? Magnus was utterly dumbstruck.

Taako, noticing Magnus's open-mouthed stare, quickly swiped at his eyes and scoffed, pretending he hadn't just experienced an emotion. Luckily for him, before Magnus could call him out, Merle was waddling over, reaching into his bag for his extreme teen bible and already starting to mumble a prayer to Pan. Magnus was really too far gone at this point to say anything anyway and couldn't stay awake any longer. Before he passed out, though, he heard Taako whisper in his ear.

"You fucking tell anyone about this," Taako hissed, "I'll rip out your throat with my fucking teeth."

With that strangely comforting sentiment, Magnus fell into unconsciousness.

When he woke up, his chest was bandaged and his memory of the event was fuzzy at best and nonexistent at worst. He vaguely remembered pushing Taako out of the way and taking a big hit (he certainly remembered a sword slash across his stomach) but that was about it. He certainly didn't understand the strange, hostile looks Taako started giving him after the incident.

All he knew is that he protected his friends, and he was okay with the scar the sword left if it meant his friends had walked away unharmed.


	2. Carey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carey and Magnus have a heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much to all the nice comments on chapter one!! I love that you guys love it! As always, feedback is appreciated!

"Get ready to _eat shit _, Burnsides!" Killian growled with a smirk. She and Avi raised their fists.__

__Magnus laughed, following suit and raising his arms, waving his hand in a _bring it on _motion. "Uh huh, sure. Carey and I are gonna make you eat those words!"___ _

____Carey grinned and whooped in agreement, crouching down into a fighting position. Magnus did the same._ _ _ _

____This was Magnus's favorite kind of training: sparring. It was like fighting but nobody died, the two things Magnus loved most! But Merle wasn't very big on fighting, and Magnus was unsure if Taako had ever entered the training room voluntarily in his life, so he was usually lucky if he got even one person to spar with him every couple weeks. But this time, Killian had suggested sparring in pairs. Magnus agreed immediately and eagerly. Carey had insisted pairing with Magnus, claiming that she "already knew all his sneak attacks" and that it wouldn't be fair otherwise. Magnus suspected that she really just wanted something to hold over Killian's head the next time she skimped on training or wanted to sleep in. Magnus didn't mind, though, because he and Carey were gonna totally crush it._ _ _ _

____Killian and Avi talked a big game, but Magnus was confident that with his fighting abilities and Carey's roguish sneaking skills, they could win easily. Magnus also knew that Killian was a big softie at heart. If Carey went after her, she would hesitate to hit her girlfriend at full strength. Magnus and Carey shared a look; she was thinking the same thing. Magnus nodded. This was going to be fun._ _ _ _

____Killian counted down. Magnus's palms itched with anticipation._ _ _ _

____"Go!"_ _ _ _

____Magnus rushed at Avi swinging, giving him no time to react. The first punch hit him square in the jaw, and Magnus grinned. So far, so good. Avi recovered quickly, though, and Magnus's next two punches missed. _Avi must be training a lot more _, thought Magnus, impressed, as he hopped back to avoid a blow.___ _ _ _

______He chanced a look to his left to see how Carey was faring. She was flitting gracefully around Killian, tripping her and giggling when she stumbled. Then she pulled Killian's tunic up over her face, blinding her, and whacked her behind her knee, forcing her to down. The two girls stumbled over each other and landed in a heap, laughing and snorting._ _ _ _ _ _

_______Maybe this was a poorly thought-out plan, _Magnus thought to himself.__ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You better stay focused on your opponent, Magnus!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Magnus turned just in time to catch a fist directly in his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He stumbled back and caught the next punch in his shoulder. _That's gonna bruise _, he thought as he winced. He put up his arms just in time to block another blow and quickly retaliated.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________As Avi forced him backwards, Magnus felt his back hit something. He glanced behind him; Carey and Killian were fighting seriously now, Carey deftly ducking out of the way of all of Killian's punches and flirting in an attempt to fluster her (it worked; Magnus could definitely see Killian blushing). That is, until she collided with Magnus's back. She lost her footing and stumbled, leaving Killian an opening. She raised her fist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Magnus didn't understand why, but his stomach dropped. Carey needed him, he had to be there for her. She could get hurt! In that instant he forgot about the training, forgot about everything except for the fact that his teammate - his _friend _\- was in danger. He flung himself between Carey and Killian, directly into her oncoming fist.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The force of the punch reverberated down Magnus's spine. He saw stars. Magnus had forgotten how strong Killian was; as he landed flat on his ass in the middle of the training room, he made a mental note not to forget again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________When his vision cleared, he saw Killian standing over him looking worried while Avi and Carey were trying not to laugh their asses off nearby. Sheepish, Magnus stood up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I'm so sorry Magnus, I didn't mean to hit you that hard, I was aiming for Carey and I didn't expect -"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"It's fine," Magnus said, trying his best to laugh it off, "I was pretty zoned out, I guess." His face was starting to throb. Fuck, he was going to have a black eye. Taako and Merle were going to give him hell for this. He sighed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I think I'm all trained out for today," he said, going to grab a towel. He was thoroughly embarrassed not only by his near K. O., but also by the strange thoughts he had had during the match. He just needed to take a shower and a nap and forget about this whole thing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Yeah, yeah, sure," Avi said, chuckling a little. "Want me to get Merle to heal that?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Uh..." Magnus scrambled for an excuse; Merle could NOT know about this. With all the hell Merle got for his inappropriate spell usage, he would absolutely hold this blunder over his head for the rest of eternity. "I don't want to bother him with this..."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Avi laughed. "I get it. Too embarrassed you got out-fought?" Avi nudged him and walked across the room towards the regular exercise equipment. "I wanna keep training, though. Killian, Carey, wanna do some deadlifting?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Killian looked excited at the prospect of lifting weights, but Carey hung back. "Nah, I think I'll go with Magnus. Ya know, get him some ice for that shiner," she said, patting Magnus's arm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Avi nodded, hefting some huge weights into the air, and Killian waved as Carey grabbed Magnus by the arm, dragging him to the cafeteria before he could protest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She was oddly quiet during the short walk to the cafeteria. She seemed to be thinking. Magnus didn't have much to say either, so the walk was silent except for the sound of their footsteps and the throbbing still pulsing though Magnus's head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The cafeteria was predictably abandoned, seeing as it was three in the afternoon. Magnus sat while Carey grabbed some ice and stuffed it in a towel. She handed it to Magnus, who gingerly touched it to his already swollen face. He winced. Carey squirmed in her seat across from him, looking desperate to say something but apparently unsure of how to begin. Magnus raised his one visible eyebrow in an implicit question, and Carey sighed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Magnus, I know you kinda played it off in there, but I know what I saw." She looked him straight in the eye. "You jumped in front of that punch on purpose. You took that hit for me."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Magnus looked away, uncomfortable. "Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking, really. But... I mean... you could have gotten hurt, and I-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Carey laughed a little. "You think Killian, my girlfriend, would seriously do any real damage? Magnus, we were just training."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I know, I know, it's just I want to protect you! All of you! That's my thing, right?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"But Magnus," Carey said, grabbing his hand, "You don't need to always protect us. We're strong, too. We can hold our own, you know that, don't you? We can fight our own battles, shoulder our own burdens; sometimes it's best for us to just do things by ourselves, be our own hero. We don't always need a savior," she concluded. She seemed shocked she had said so much. "Shit, uh, sorry that got a little deep, but you catch my drift, right?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Magnus sighed, thinking of his friends; their strength, their determination, and their bravery. "Yeah, I got it. And you're right, Carey."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Carey smiled. "Of course I am! So Magnus, just let us have the limelight every now and then! Damn! Always rushing in and taking all the glory for yourself. It's pretty fucking rude!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Magnus laughed, shifting the ice on his face to a more comfortable position. He got up to leave._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"And Magnus," Carey said, not looking at him. "You know... we care about you. We want to protect you, too. So... don't go dying on us just because you thought you could take the big hit, alright?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A warm feeling grew in Magnus's chest; he had felt this before, a long, long time ago. He ran over to Carey and scooped her up in a hug, ignoring her scratchy scales and noises of protest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Thank you," he whispered, "I'll try."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________With that, Magnus left to take a shower, trying not to cry. He just realized that he had a family again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! If you want hmu on my tumblr the-syrup-witch
> 
> Also I love you!!


	3. Angus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Angus time! Our favorite boy would be very upset if anything ever happened to Magnus...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. This may or may not make sense. I don't know anything. Anyway thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated!

"What did we come here to get again, Angus?"

Angus bounced along beside Magnus, absolutely thrilled to be off the moon base and out and about. His joy was infectious; Magnus couldn't help the grin that spread on his own face to match Angus's.

"A new book, sir!" Angus smiled as he hopped over rocks and shallow holes that marred the path. "The new Caleb Cleveland book just came out and I've been waiting since forever to get it!"

Magnus nodded as if that meant anything to him. Whatever makes the kid happy, he figured.

This little side-quest was talking longer than Magnus had anticipated. Instead of going to a bigger city like Neverwinter or Rockport, Angus had suggested they come to a slightly smaller town his grandpa had once taken him to called Northshire. He said he and his grandpa had gone on a trip there a few years ago and that it was a nice place, and Angus assured Magnus that they would have the book they were looking for in a little shop he remembered his grandpa taking him too. Magnus didn't particularly care about that, as long as they got it relatively quickly. His hopes of a quick mission were soon dashed when they arrived at the main gate of the town. As they were approaching the entrance, they were (very rudely, Magnus thought) informed that the main gate was "under construction," so they would have to take a "back entrance," which Magnus thought was fucking ridiculous. When he loudly informed the guards of this opinion, he and Angus were firmly escorted to said back entrance, a winding path through a canyon of red rock, with nothing but dust and rocks in sight. Magnus muttered some curses under his breath and started walking.

He was beginning to think those guards were fucking with them, though, because they had been walking for a good while and still hadn't seen anything. It was hot, too; sweat was dripping down Magnus's back. He glanced at Angus. The kid still looked pretty chipper, though maybe a little bit slower (and sweatier).

"Do you remember this so-called back entrance from the last time you came here?" Magnus asked, wiping his forehead.

Angus shook his head. He glanced in awe at the walls of rock on either side of them. They were kinda beautiful, Magnus had to admit, but he just wanted to get this fucking book and go home already. 

He didn't see what cause the shift in the rocks. Maybe a bird landing strategically, or some other creature, or maybe it was just the wind. He did hear a rumbling, which prompted him to look up and see a rockslide speeding down the side of the canyon.

He saw the rocks crumbling down in slow motion. They were large enough to do serious damage to a person, especially if they fell from the sky on top of said person, like these rocks were presently threatening to do. Angus was staring up, dumbstruck. There was nothing else for Magnus to do but what he did best.

He threw himself on top of Angus, bracing himself as the rocks crumbled on top of him. He tried not to scream as his body was pelted and he felt at least one rib break. Angus was shouting something underneath him, but Magnus couldn't focus enough through the pain to decipher what it was. Then he felt something hit him in the head, and he was out like a light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sir? Sir?! Magnus!!"

Magnus floated back into consciousness. Fuck, his head hurt. His everything hurt. He slowly opened his eyes.

Angus was sitting right in front of him, tears in his eyes. He hastily rubbed them as he saw Magnus wake up. He must have crawled out from under me, Magnus mused. But why was he crying? Was he hurt?

"Are you okay?" Magnus asked, voice hoarse. He tried to shift his body into a more comfortable position, but found he couldn't. He lifted his arm (painfully) and tried to give Angus a reassuring pat; he ended up just patting his ankle, but it was close enough. Angus was still crying, though.

"M-Magnus! I thought-I thought you were- I thought you weren't gonna- wake up-" Angus's speech dissolved into sobs.

Shit. Magnus tried to move again and yelped in pain when one of his legs was jostled. He twitched his leg again; the pain was overwhelming. He managed to lift his head enough to look down at his feet, and saw that he was completely covered by rocks up to his waist. Yeah, his legs were fucked. Double shit.

"Angus, it's okay. Look at me. I'm okay. Are you hurt?"

Angus shook his head, and Magnus, after giving him a quick once-over, confirmed with relief that he truly was uninjured. Magnus said a quick thank-you prayer. Then he grimaced. This next part wasn't going to be fun for either of them. 

"Angus," he started, already dreading what was about to happen, "I need you to help me out of here. Can you get some of these rocks off of me?"

Angus looked afraid, but he nodded and set to work shifting the rocks. Magnus may have screamed just a little as his legs were gradually (very, veeeerrrry gradually) partially freed. He and Angus lay there panting, unsure of what to do. It hurt so fucking much. Just as he threatened to pass out again, Magnus heard a faint voice.

"Over here! They must've got caught in that rockslide!"

Oh, thank gods, Magnus thought, and drifted into unconsciousness once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus hadn't seen Angus in a few days. He seemed to be avoiding him. He was avoiding everyone, in fact; Angus had been holed up in his room ever since he and Magnus had gotten back from Northshire.

It turns out those guards were just fucking with them, or else Magnus just really misunderstood their directions; there really was construction on the main gate, but the secondary entrance was just a short distance away, partially obscured by some brush. Magnus and Angus had taken a very old backroad that had stopped seeing travelers years ago and was in fact pretty unsafe. Someone from town must have heard the rockslide (or maybe Magnus's screaming), though, because a few shopkeepers went to check out what had happened. They found a terrified and crying Angus and an unconscious and badly injured Magnus, and took the two back to town. A healer in Northshire quickly took care of most of Magnus's injuries, and after a couple of days in the moon base infirmary he was back to full strength. 

Magnus did think it was weird that Angus hadn't stopped by to say hello while he was recovering, but he didn't think too much about it until the Director informed him that Angus hadn't left his room except to occasionally sneak into the kitchen and take food the whole time Magnus had been in the infirmary. Worried, Magnus stopped by as soon as he could. Angus only yelled at him to go away through the door.

After a few days, Magnus decided enough was enough. He grabbed a few things he had bought for Angus and knocked on his door again.

"Go away!!"

"C'mon, Angus, I brought presents!"

Angus didn't say anything for a moment; maybe he was wondering if the presents were worth it. Then he shouted again, "Go away, I don't want to talk to you!"

Magnus sighed. Well, so much for the easy way.

Magnus opened the door and rushed in.

Angus had his face pressed into his pillow, the room dark except for the light filtering in through the window. Books were open on his desk, but a few stacks of empty paper plates were stacked precariously on top. Magnus sat down on Angus's bed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" Magnus asked, as gently as he could. 

Angus, his face still in his pillow, shook his head. "No," he said, voice muffled.

Magnus sighed. "Well, you wanna see what I brought you?"

After a second of thinking, Angus slowly lifted his head up and peered over in curiosity.

Magnus lifted up a large rectangular box. "I got this puzzle for you, it's 1000 pieces! Maybe I could help you with it some time?"

Angus took the box, smiling a little. He looked expectantly at the rest of the items in Magnus's lap.

"Oh, and I also got this book of brain teasers! And some sudoku puzzles, and here's Taako's old Rubik's cube that he didn't want anymore!"

Magnus dumped all these things in Angus's lap, grinning at the excitement lighting up his face. Angus gave him a big hug, then sighed.

"I'm sorry, sir, I was being rude to you earlier. It's just..."

He looked up, and the expression on his face was so full of love and hope but also so much sadness and fear that Magnus's heart broke. He nodded for Angus to continue.

"It's just... I was scared you were gonna... die. And, you're like the big brother I never had. So be careful, please sir?"

Magnus felt like he had been punched in the gut. He could feel tears prickling behind his eyes, but he held them back as he gripped Angus in a giant bear hug.

"Of course, Ango."

Angus sniffled. "And can you quit teasing me quite so much?"

Magnus chuckled, and leaned in close. "Never," he whispered.

Angus laughed, and Magnus sighed in relief. The world was right again, if he just ignored the slight feeling of nausea and guilt that pulled at his stomach whenever he thought of Angus crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading and for the nice comments! I love you!


	4. Merle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Merle time y'all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took kinda long, I had to think a lot about how I wanted to do this. Thanks as always for the nice comments!! I hope you enjoy!

"I'm sorry I can't give you more information, boys," the Director said. She looked seriously at the three of them. Taako was filing his nails and yawning. Merle was picking his nose. Magnus saluted with complete sincerity.

"We'll take care of it, don't worry, Director!" Magnus declared.

"Yeah, sure, what he said," Taako said, not looking up.

"Wha- wait, can you repeat that?" said Merle, looking confused.

The Director sighed. "Our Seekers have discovered an unusual energy source in the middle of the Falkern Forest. It may be a relic; we haven't heard back from any of the Seekers we sent to confirm its arcane characteristics. Regardless, it's an extremely powerful magic item, and it would be disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. I want you three to reclaim it. You know, like it says in your job title: Reclaimers," she added. Her voice was so deadpan that Magnus was unsure if that was sarcasm or she really did think they were that dumb (he decided it was probably sarcasm). "You'll leave immediately."

Merle saluted too. "Don't you worry, Lucretia, we got this!" He winked, earning a groan from everyone else in the room.

"Great. And don't call me that," the Director said in her monotone voice, but Magnus could have sworn he saw her calm and collected face falter, just for a moment. But then her carefully expressionless visage was back, and Magnus assumed he had imagined it.

So they set off in one of the Bureau's glass balls and soon found themselves right outside a densely forested area. Avi had said the forest was too thick to drop the ball directly into, so they would have to walk on foot to the center of the forest, where the Seekers said they had sensed the energy.

"Ughhhhhh, why couldn't I have just summoned Garyl, we could've been there by now," Taako moaned, dragging his feet.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Garyl can't carry all of us, and besides, what if we have to fight? You don't wanna waste all your spell slots."

Taako moaned again. "You're right but I hate it."

"Why don't you quit wasting your energy complaining and just enjoy nature," said Merle leisurely. He looked like he was in his element in this forest; flowers seemed to spring up beneath his feet and birds flitted around him. I guess that's what comes with being a devotee of Pan, Magnus thought. 

They walked without talking for a few minutes, the only sounds the crunching of twigs under their feet and Merle humming under his breath. It may just have been Magnus being paranoid, but he got the feeling that this forest was too calm. As they went deeper into the forest, the birds grew fainter and fainter until Magnus stopped hearing them all together. And he couldn't tell if it was just getting later or if the forest was actually absorbing more light the closer they got to the center, making it dimmer and dimmer. He grew uneasy and anxiously fingered the handle of his ax.

After they had been walking for an hour or so, they came upon a clearing. In its brightly-lit center stood a large felled tree that looked perfect for sitting on, almost as if the tree was created from nothing for the very purpose of being a cushion for their asses. 

Without having to say anything to each other, they plopped their stuff down and sat on the tree, resting their feet.

"Okay guys, we have to leave in a couple minutes though," Magnus reminded them, stifling a yawn. He was tired all of a sudden.

"Yeah, yeah... sure..." said Taako, his hat over his face and his back up against the log. Merle was already snoring on Magnus's other side.

Well, a quick nap wouldn't hurt, thought Magnus. He closed his eyes and was immediately out.

He woke up with a start, disoriented and bleary-eyed. He looked around frantically. Where was he? What was he doing again? Why was the ground shaking?

Magnus ran over and shook Merle, who woke up looking just as confused as Magnus felt, and Taako, who rolled over and muttered something about "beauty sleep."

"Fuck, how long have when been asleep?" groaned Taako when he finally woke up, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Do you guys feel that?" Magnus asked.

Merle and Taako, after a moment, both nodded.

"Whatever is making the ground shake like this..." Taako said, picking up his umbrastaff and giving it a twirl, "it's not something I wanna see up close. Let's get moving fellas."

Magnus quickly collected his stuff. He could swear the vibrations were getting more powerful. He was itching to move, to get away, bouncing on his feet as the others got their equipment.

They set off immediately, Magnus setting a swift pace. The feeling of uneasiness he felt before was growing along with the vibrations under their feet.

It wasn't long before they saw the source.

A huge, hulking beast stood in their path, formless and angry. When it saw them, it roared loudly and ran towards them.

"Well shit," said Merle, scratching his beard.

The giant beast ripped an entire fucking tree out of the ground and lifted it like a club. Magnus thought he heard Taako mutter "...holy shit" under his breath as the creature took a swing at the three of them.

"Move!" Magnus shouted, tackling the others to the ground. The tree just brushed past their heads, twigs scratching their arms and legs. Magnus jumped up immediately, grabbing Railsplitter. He was gonna fucking chop this shit.

The beast reared up to take another swing, and Magnus followed suit. Just as the tree was about to hit him, he swung, slicing the tree clean in half.

Magnus stood still for a second, shocked at his own power. "Wow, I can't believe that worked!" He shouted brightly, turning to Merle and Taako with a grin.

But before he could celebrate, the monster simply ripped another tree straight from the ground, with what looked like zero effort at all.

Magnus gulped. There was no way he could pull off a move like that again; honestly, he wasn't sure how he did it the first time. Railsplitter was already growing heavy in his hand. But he placed himself between the beast and his friends. Over my dead body, he thought to himself, and raised his ax and his shield.

Taako had jumped up and was muttering a spell to himself. Merle, however, was still on the ground, and the monster swung his tree towards him with deadly accuracy.

"Merle, move!" Magnus shouted. He was running towards him, ax and shield at the ready. There was no time, he had to move faster, he had to protect him -

With a grunt, he flung himself in front of Merle and put his shield in front of both of them, bracing himself.

Magnus's shield took the brunt of the attack, but the force twisted his arm into an unnatural position. "Fuck!" he screamed, vision going blurry as he bent over his broken arm. Pain shot up his arm all the way to his shoulder.

Still, he lifted his shield, trying not to cry out in pain, and waited for the next attack.

It didn't come.

The monster had been frozen solid in a hunk of ice. Taako stood nearby, twirling his umbrastaff and smirking.

"You're welcome," he said with a scoff.

Magnus gratefully collapsed to the ground, clutching his broken arm to his chest after he gently removed his shield. Merle leaned over him, beginning to say a prayer of healing, but before he could finish another voice spoke.

"You've killed him! Biff! My favorite monstrosity!"

A tall, pale man appeared in front of them, pouting and levitating a few inches off the ground. He wore a dark cape and had dark black hair that contrasted sharply with his white face. "That's rude," he continued, clucking disapprovingly at them. "Now what did he ever do to you?"

"He tried to kill us!" said Merle, indignant. "And who the fuck are you?"

The man turned to Merle and smiled an unnerving and insincere smile.

"That's not very polite either, dwarf. Demanding I introduce myself after so callously neglecting to mention your own names?"

The man sighed, tilting his head. "I suppose I better teach you three some manners."

He opened his cape with a flourish and produced a slender wand, as pale as his skin. He pointed it at Merle and smiled again.

"No!" Magnus shouted. He threw himself in front of Merle just as a bolt of lighting shot from the man's wand.

Being electrocuted was not what Magnus would consider fun. His body spasmed and he screamed. He could barely hear the shouts of his friends over the ringing in his own ears. The experience only lasted a few seconds, but to Magnus it felt like an eternity. His muscles still twitched as the ringing in his ears slowly subsided, and he realized the lightning was no longer surrounding him.

He heard that same voice as if he were underwater. "Excuse me, human. Was that blast for you? Wait your turn." He clucked his tongue again. Magnus painfully sat up (despite Merle's insistence that he stay down) and struggled to his feet, his ax at the ready.

"You'll hurt them over my dead body," he snarled, lifting his ax with his good hand.

The man laughed. It sent chills up Magnus's spine. "Well, if you insist, I guess it would be rude of me not to comply!"

And Magnus forgot everything else as he was encompassed in electric pain once more, shaking and screaming and feeling nothing but pain, pain, pain-

Soon he felt nothing at all as he blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He opened his eyes and he saw- he saw-

Julia.

"Julia-" he started, trying to get up but someone was holding him down. Her face was above him, just as beautiful as he remembered. But there were tears in her eyes. Why was she crying? He reached up a hand to touch her face, to wipe her tears.

"Don't move," she said. "A cleric will be here soon."

Why did he need a cleric? What was happening? Magnus decided it didn't matter. Julia was here, and that was enough. He would do anything she asked as long as he got to see her face.

"Julia," he said again, "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He woke up crying, with her name on his lips. He tried to get up but was pushed back down.

"Nope," said Merle, crossing his arms.

"What happened?" He said, voice hoarse. His whole body hurt.

"While you were busy being electrocuted, Taako managed to cast some illusion spell and get us away," he said. "We're not sure who that man was or where he is now, but we figured we'd hide out here while I healed you."

That prompted Magnus to look around and figure out just where "here" was. He was lying on cold stone. They were in a cave, he realized. But-

"Where's Taako?" He asked, straining his neck to try and spot him.

"Oh, uh," Merle stammered, "he's, uh, around..."

Magnus looked skeptical. Merle sighed.

"He was pretty miffed about your getting injured, and junk," Merle confessed. 

Oh. Magnus was silent, staring into the depths of the cave.

"Magnus."

He was startled back to the present by the sound of his name. Merle was looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, yeah, thanks Merle," he said distractedly, waving his bandaged arm and grinning. "Sorry you had to waste all your spell slots on me."

Merle looked confused for a moment, then waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, the healing. Nah, I wanted to talk to you about something else."

Oh, Magnus did not like that serious tone in Merle's voice. But still, he nodded for him to continue. 

"Listen, I'm gonna level with you," said Merle, scratching his beard. He looked... unsure? That was not a look he wore often, Magnus thought worriedly. "You were... pretty close to dying there. And by 'pretty close,' I mean your heart stopped for a while, and I just barely brought you back."

The bluntness of that statement rocked Magnus. Did he really almost die?

"Another hit like that and you definitely wouldn't have made it," Merle continued. He looked at Magnus, his face now open and calm but deadly serious. "I just thought you should know. You need to stop with all the heroics, or you're just gonna get yourself killed."

Magnus nodded, swallowing thickly. 

Merle put a hand on his shoulder. "Magnus, I'm not a very sentimental dwarf. I'm not really much for emotions and family and all that jazz. But-" he stopped. Magnus stared at him with bewilderment. Merle cleared his throat and said very quickly, "ifanythinghappenedtoyou-"

"What?"

Merle huffed and looked away. "If anything happened to you I'm not sure what I'd do. I- I care about you."

He patted Magnus's shoulder awkwardly, muttered something about Magnus getting some rest, and waddled away before he could respond.

That guilty feeling from before came back, lingering in Magnus's gut. He didn't really want to die. Of course he didn't. But he didn't want his friends to die either, and if he had to chose between them and himself... he knew who he would chose.

He wouldn't ever tell Merle or Taako any of this, though. He closed his eyes, attempting to take Merle's advice and get some rest.

He didn't think he would be able to sleep, but he must have been more exhausted than he thought, because he soon drifted off.

For the first time in a long time, Magnus dreamed. He dreamed of Julia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and also i love you!!


	5. Julia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus remembers.

Chapter 5 - Julia

"Don't move. A cleric will be here soon."

Magnus stared into her eyes. He hated it when she cried. Why was she crying again?

And why did his face hurt so bad?

He moved a hand to his eye, but Julia grabbed it before he could touch it.

"Stop, you've got glass in your eye," she said. She squeezed his hand.

Why did he have glass in his eye?

"Why do I have glass in my eye?" he asked, his voice slurred.

Julia sighed and said, almost to herself, "You rushed in."

That certainly did seem like something he would do. As she said it, vague memories started floating back.

The bar. The fight. The bottle smashing, shattering against his face. The blood dripping from his eye. 

It was still fuzzy, though.

"Oh," Magnus remembered suddenly. "I'm drunk, aren't I?"

Julia laughed shakily. She was still crying, noted Magnus with dismay. "Yeah, you're drunk. What do you remember?"

Behind Julia, Magnus saw figures moving back and forth, people whispering urgently and confidentially. He noticed a couple glancing in his direction; he couldn't make out most of what they were saying, but he thought he heard the words "serious" and "permanent" and "blind."

Magnus decided he was too drunk to think too much about the implications of those words.

He looked at Julia again. She looked back, expectant. Oh, right, she had asked him a question. What was it? What did he remember?

And after a moment, the events of the night came rushing back in perfect clarity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No one was really sure how the fight had started. Magnus and Julia were at the bar talking about wedding plans, ignoring the ever looming threat of Kalen and the growing resistance that he and she were becoming increasingly involved in. They ignored it more and more as their drinks grew emptier, and they held hands beneath the table. Magnus wished that there were only this. He kissed her, and felt his heart melt as he glimpsed the burning fire in her eyes.

Magnus couldn't believe that she was going to be his wife. He couldn't believe that this amazing, talented, beautiful woman had come into his life. He just hoped that he could do right by her.

"I was thinking a spring wedding," Magnus said, envisioning it in his mind. "Flowers blooming, birds chirping... can you imagine anything more romantic?"

Julia laughed. "That's too long to wait!" She leaned in close, conspiring, and stage-whispered in his ear. "Let's do it now."

Magnus leaned in too, grinning. "Right now?"

"Yeah! I know a cleric who could marry us, I can go get my father and we can get married right here!"

"No, in your father's workshop," Magnus said, grabbing her hands, "where we first met, where I proposed..."

Julia nodded, cheeks flushed with alcohol and affection. "Let's do it! Right now! We have plenty of booze and plenty of people we love right here! Why wait!"

"Yes!" Magnus hopped up from the bar and spun Julia around, giggling. He led her in a few steps of a dance to a song a bard was playing in the corner, laughing all the while. Then Magnus stopped. Julia kept dancing for a few moments before looking up, confused.

"Magnus?"

Across the room, a shouting match was turning violent.

"Fuckin' bastard!" A gruff voice slurred. "If ya don' pay up now I'm gonna fuckin' kill ya, ya piece a shit!"

"You're a liar and a cheater!" Another voice, equally slurred, shouted. "I don' owe you nothin' but a swift kick in the teeth!" He threw a punch, and soon it devolved into a full-fledged fist fight.

Magnus's stomach churned. He recognized the second voice: Darmon, the blacksmith whose shop was a few doors down from Steven's. He had worked with him on several occasions and found him to be a generally kindhearted person, but a little mead could alter the disposition of even the kindest men.

Magnus looked at Julia. She sighed, already knowing what the pleading look on his face meant. He couldn't just stand by and watch this fight, he had to do something!

So he walked over, hands up in a placating gesture, and tried to talk to them.

"Let's just cool our heads," he began.

"He's the one who needs to cool it!" the man who Magnus didn't know screamed.

Magnus put his hands up in surrender. "Mind telling me what happened?"

Magnus turned towards him. His hair was messy and greasy, and the dark circles under his eyes made it seem like he hadn't sleep in weeks. 

The other man, who Magnus didn't know, sneered. "This man is insulting my honor, my dignity. I can't let him slander my name like this."

Magnus pulled out his coin purse. "How about I just pay you what he owes you and we can forget this mess?"

The man gave a contemptuous snort. "This isn't about money! It's about my pride as a man!"

Julia rolled her eyes, but spoke kindly to the man. "I'm sure no one is doubting your honor, sir, I think you've both just had too much to drink and-"

"Why don't you get control of your woman, Burnsides?" the man spat with a snide grin.

"What?" Magnus growled. He tried to push down his growing rage.

The man laughed. "You better tell her her place before some other man does."

"Don't you dare talk about her that way," Magnus snarled. He began to rush forward when Julia grabbed his arm.

"Magnus," she said evenly, although he know she was fuming internally, "how did he know your name?"

Fuck, she was right; he'd never met this man in his life, so how did he know him?

"Who are you?" Magnus asked, not even bothering to contain his hostility.

The man, now completely ignoring Darmon, spoke with glee. "Kalen has eyes and ears all over."

Magnus's blood ran cold. Did Kalen already know about the resistance?

But, to Magnus's horror, after the man spoke several other people around the bar stood up and started walking over, surrounding the man, who smirked. Magnus stepped back, grabbing Julia's hand. She squeezed it, sharing his look of terror. It looked like about a quarter of the bar was among Kalen's lackeys.

Magnus looked at Julia. She looked beautiful and determined. She always looked beautiful and determined. He smiled, steeling himself. "Don't worry, Jules. I got this."

He let go of her hand, ignoring her protests as he launched himself at the men surrounding them.

The fight was a blur. Magnus was outnumbered, but his fighting skills were definitely superior. He punched and dodged and blocked, barely taking any hits. 

As he punched a man in the face and watched him go down, he felt a strange exhilaration. He felt as if he were finally doing something to counteract Kalen's reign of terror, a physical act of rebellion instead of just strategizing and planning with Julia. Magnus liked being able to see his opponent, to match them in a test of strength rather than cunning or wits. This was action. This was progress he could see!

He noticed from the corner of his eye that other patrons of the bar had joined in, turning the fight into an all-out brawl: Darmon, the bartender, the innkeeper, and other townsfolk that Magnus knew and trusted. He grinned. Kalen was going to regret messing with them. 

He also saw Julia to his left, smashing bottles over heads and screaming obscenities at any who dared cross her path. God, he loved her.

Magnus took down a few more thugs as the brawl started to grow more intense. It was almost impossible to see who was fighting who. Bottles and plates and silverware were flying all around; Magnus ducked to avoid a flying fork and tried to make his way over to Julia.

"Julia!" He shouted over the noise of the fighting. 

She was only a couple feet away; she looked over at him and smiled. She didn't see the man come up behind her, swaying and flushed with alcohol, and raise an empty bottle.

"Watch out!" He screamed. Before she could even react, he was in front of her, closing his eyes and bracing himself-

There was a shattering sound, and Magnus's eye exploded with pain. He remembered screaming and screaming and grabbing his face, shocked at all the blood one cut could produce. The fight was dying down around him. Julia was saying his name, but he couldn't respond. His vision stuttered and he slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus blinked with his good eye. "Everything," he sighed. "Where are we?"

"Still in the bar," she told him. "The barkeeper let us use a back room to get you situated."

"Is my eye gonna-"

"We don't know," she sighed, obviously frustrated. "We've been trying to get in touch with a cleric, but it's been taking so long because-"

"Why?" Magnus asked.

She stopped. "Because-" she stopped again, and then forced herself to continue. "Because Magnus, you're a traitor now. You directly defied the governor. And not many clerics, or anyone, for that matter, want to be on the Mad Governor's bad side."

Magnus felt a little hollow. Of course, he and Julia had been preparing for months to take on Kalen, carefully crafting plans and strategies to take him down, but this too was a physical consequence of his actions. He was going to have to learn to deal with this.

Julia still looked upset. He was worried. Did something else happen?

"Julia?"

She looked away.

"Jules, is something wrong?"

She sighed loudly, turning around and wiping at her eyes. "God, you can read me so well, I hate it."

He waited for her to continue.

"Magnus, do you think I can't take care of myself?"

That was not what Magnus was expecting at all. "What? Of course I think you can protect yourself!"

"Then why did you take that hit for me?" She asked. "Why do you always throw yourself into danger for my sake? Do you... do you not trust me to protect myself?"

He looked down. Maybe it was the alcohol still in his system, but he spilled everything. "Of course I trust you. I just didn't want you to be hurt. I can't stand it when you're hurt, Julia. And besides, I can take a few hits. That's my job, right? I take the hits so you don't get hurt." 

And it was true. Magnus was happy to be injured himself if it meant the people he cared about came away unharmed.

Julia looked angry, though. "I hate it when you're hurt too, dumbass! I don't want you to always be injured because of me! Just," she ran her fingers furiously through her hair, crying angry tears, "just let me take a few hits sometimes!"

Magnus didn't know what to say. He opted not to say anything and just nodded, hugging Julia to his chest.

"I don't want to lose you," she said, voice muffled by Magnus's chest.

After a few moments of silence, Magnus spoke up. "I... don't know if I can promise you anything, Julia. Protecting is just... innate to me, I guess. But I will try. I will try to let you protect yourself. I'll try to stop being a human shield." It was the best he could do, but he meant every word.

She hugged him tighter. 

A few minutes later a cleric rushed in and healed his eye. The scar remained, though, a reminder to Magnus that there were people who cared about him and who needed him to come back home alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the second time in a row, Magnus woke up crying. He touched the scar that disfigured his eye, thinking. Maybe he had found a new family who needed him to come back alive. He smiled at the thought. He took stock of his body. Mostly back to normal, to his relief. He flexed his bad arm and only felt a twinge of pain. He got up, planning to ask Merle how long he had slept.

He soon frowned, however, when he realized that Taako and Merle were nowhere in sight. The remnants of a fire were right outside the mouth of the cave. He realized with dread that Taako's umbrastaff was laying on the ground, along with his cloak. Merle's Extreme Teen Bible was there too. Magnus grabbed Railsplitter and his friends' possessions and started to head out. If something had happened to them, and he wasn't around to protect them-

His thoughts were cut short when he saw a figure clothed in black approach.

"Hmmm, we have a straggler, it seems."

Suddenly, Magnus was aware of a person behind him. He spun around just in time to catch the butt of a sword in his forehead, and he went down like a sack of bricks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! This last chapter may take me awhile to finish, I'm really bad at planning and I'm just playing this all by ear lol. Feedback is appreciated! If you wanna talk to me my Tumblr is the-syrup-witch. Also I love you!!


	6. Magnus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh how the turn tables......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end y'all, thanks so much for all your nice comments! Let me know what you think!

Magnus groaned, slowly and painfully regaining consciousness. He opened his eyes as he took stock of his body. Magnus noted that he was laying uncomfortably on the ground, his face pressing against hard stone; he also realized that his wrists were tied behind his back. With a sinking feeling, he checked for his bag, and his suspicions were confirmed when it was nowhere to be found. His ax, shield, Merle's Extreme Teen Bible, and Taako's umbrastaff were also missing. 

He still had Steven, though. He smiled at the fish swimming happily in his bubble.

Feeling a little bit better, he looked around. The first thing he noticed was Taako and Merle in a heap across the room. They too were tied up. Magnus scooted himself over to them and nudged Taako with his shoulder. He groaned.

"Why does my head hurt like I spent all last night chugging Pringles's weird potions?" Taako moaned. Merle muttered something unintelligible without getting up.

Magnus breathed a sigh of relief. They were fine.

"What happened?" Magnus asked. His head was pounding. He vaguely remembered a shadowy figure approaching him, and then-

"We got knocked out by this creep in a black robe," Taako said.

Magnus nodded. "Me too." He looked around; they were in a poorly lit and damp room. It looked like a prison cell. Sure enough, the only door leading out of the room had a small barred window and appeared to be made of heavy metal. Definitely a cell.

"Taako? Can you magic us out of this?"

"Already done, my dude."

The door swung open; Taako had apparently cast Knock when Magnus hadn't been paying attention. They all hopped to their feet and helped each other painstakingly untie their wrists.

"Where the hell are we?" Merle asked as they left the cell. The room they entered was just as dim as the cell, but not made of stone at all. In fact, it seemed to be made entirely out of tree branches. Merle looked around with almost tangible awe. Magnus was impressed too. The branches wove together to form a domed ceiling high above them. They also formed a pedestal in the center of the room; it emitted a bright circle of white light. 

"Hey guys," Magnus started, pointing to the pedestal, "is that-"

"Thank Pan!"

A voice made Magnus spin around. 

"The Reclaimers!" Another voice shouted, sounding ecstatic. A few more voices joined in.

"We're saved!"

"Oh man, I thought we were gonna die in here!"

Were those... the Seekers that had been sent to research the strange energy in the forest? 

"Are you from the Bureau of Balance?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes!" The first voice exclaimed. Their relief was palpable.

Magnus traced their voices back to another cell, similar to their own except that it was, like everything else in this room, made of branches. 

"Taako, can you come cast a spell or something? They're locked in."

"I can do you one better, fella," said Taako, tossing Magnus his bag. He looked up and saw Taako twirling his umbrastaff once more and holding out Railsplitter. Magnus eagerly took it and started hacking at the door. Since it was made of wood, it wasn't long at all until he had created a person-sized hole in the branches. Several Seekers walked out, some in awe at getting to see the Reclaimers up close, but most simply relieved to be alive.

"Yeah, our stuff was just kinda piled up over there," Taako said, scratching his head. "Nothing else interesting in the room, though. Merle's trying to figure out what the deal with this tree is. Or jacking off to it, either one. Actually, the latter is probably more likely-"

"You shut up!" Merle yelled from across the room. "I'm doing research! RESEARCH! I'm the plant man, just let me do my job, jeez."

"Touchy old man," Taako grumbled.

"Find anything Merle?" asked Magnus, keen on ending this feud before it started.

He waddled up, shaking his head. "It's obviously of arcane origin, but it's more powerful than any normal magic."

"Could it be a relic influencing a normal tree?" Magnus wondered aloud.

Merle nodded. "Could be. There isn't much more information to be found. It's been here for about a decade at most, and, despite growing in the shape of a building, is totally healthy."

"Well, good to know the tree's fine," said Taako dryly.

Magnus thought he would have to intercede in another dwarf vs. elf fight, but another voice floated to them from across the room.

"What will it take for you rude boys to learn your manners?"

It was the same voice they had heard during the fight with the forest monster. Magnus shivered at the recent memory of being electrocuted. He hoped that wouldn't happen again.

The man stepped forward into the light of the pedestal, his cloak flowing behind him as he grinned eerily. "I know what you're here for, but you won't get it that easily."

Ah, so that glowing substance in the center of the room was indeed the strange energy source. That was all Magnus needed to know. Hefting his ax, he charged at the man.

As he got closer, he got a better look at the man in the cloak. He looked vaguely familiar: the smile, the sickly pale skin, the long black cloak... but he couldn't remember if he had seen this person before. His brain was full of static. With a start, he realized that it was the same static that occurred when Killian had talked about the Bureau of Balance before he had drunk from the voidfish's tank.

Magnus was so distracted by this feeling that he barely reacted when a spectral hand plucked him from the ground, dangling him in the air as he squirmed to get free.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" the man lamented, shaking his head. "I was in the middle of a monologue!" He cleared his throat. "Now, where was I?"

"Something about not letting us get whatever the hell that is?" Merle supplied, pointing to the pedestal. Taako smacked him.

"Thank you," said the man with a pointed glance at Magnus, "at least one of you has manners."

The three sighed as the man resumed his speech.

"I have been preparing for years for one of you to finally come back, so don't think it will be that easy to steal what little power we managed to hide the last time!"

The man was met with three confused stares.

"I think you've got the wrong folks, my fella-" Taako started, but was cut off.

"Don't try to play dumb! You three! You and your friends! You came, you-" he ran a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration. "Stop stalling for time. Wherever the others are, they can't help you!"

The light in the center of the room glowed, and suddenly all entrances to the room were barred by thick thorns. The man looked smug.

Merle stepped forward. "Listen, we really don't know what you're talking about. It's really just us three. And we've never even heard of you before!"

The man's smug smile dropped. "But you took it..."

Magnus really wished this man would shut up. He squirmed some more, hoping to take advantage of the man's confusion and break free, but the spectral hand simply tightened its grip.

"The light! The light that fell from the sky," the man said, now pacing. "It fell from the sky, and I wanted to investigate. A group of us tracked it here. The trees were changing, shifting into incredible shapes and growing to impossible heights. It was..." he looked at the small pedestal and sighed. "Beautiful."

Taako spoke up. "So, is there like a point to this, or-"

"We knew we deserved to keep it for ourselves; it was obviously a gift from the gods. We used it to create this building, a temple to the gods who found us worthy of this power. It could do almost anything: it could bend the laws of nature! Rewrite history, even!"

His voice took on a more crazed tone. "When you people arrived and demanded the light, we refused, of course. It was our gift! We were chosen, not you foreigners! But you," he spat, glaring daggers at the three of them, "wrongfully stole it for yourselves and killed everyone in our little group. Except me! I had carved off a piece for myself and used it to hide. I survived!"

He pointed to the pedestal, as if it weren't already obvious that this was the light he had taken from the larger piece.

Magnus, frustrated, shouted. "That wasn't us, dude!"

The man spun to look at him and beckoned the spectral hand closer. "I would never forget your face, Magnus."

His blood ran cold. He knew his name? Who was this guy?

"You took everything from me except this tiny fraction of the power I once wielded. But once I kill you and all your other friends, I can take it all back! I can keep that power for my own!"

His eyes sparkled, and Magnus noticed with a jolt that the man was crying. Magnus didn't feel any sympathy for him, though, when a wall of magical energy flung the strange man back and dispelled the spectral hand that was holding him hostage. Magnus sprung to his feet and immediately brandished Railsplitter. He heard Merle muttering some spell under his breath, and felt his muscles fill with energy. He said an internal thank you, then charged and swung, feeling the satisfying pressure of skin being broken under his ax.

Blood spurted from the cut along the man's abdomen. He screamed, doubling over as bloodstains slowly creeped down his cloak. For good measure, Taako hit him with a few magic missals. Then he lay still.

"Well, that was easy," Taako said, strutting to the center of the room with Merle close behind. Magnus felt uneasy.

"Let's get this thing and get out of here," he said. He took a closer look at the pedestal and saw a glass square surrounding a small white object. It was an irregular shape; it was smoothly curved on one side but uneven and rough on the other, like it had been hastily carved off of a larger object.

"...What is this thing?" Magnus asked, staring in awe as the object pulsed and glowed at seemingly random intervals.

"I don't care," Taako said. "We're done here. Let's go back the moon base. I gotta get something to eat, I'm starved."

He opened the glass and grabbed the white object. But before he could put it in his bag, another glowing spectral hand shot out and grabbed it, pulling it to the prone form of the man. He staggered to his feet, spitting blood as the hand dropped the object into his palm.

"You... don't deserve this power..." he coughed. "How... can you... not remember?"

He shook his head, swaying on his feet. "...doesn't matter. This power, I... I deserve it! It was given to me! It... it wants me to use it!"

He straightened to his full height, overcoming his pain for a moment. "No matter how powerful you might be," he screamed, "you're no match for a god!"

He ripped open his already torn tunic and, taking the white object, shoved it into the wound Magnus had given him. Immediately his eyes began to glow solid white. His wounds knit closed. As the three of them watched, he pulled a sword made of pure white light from thin air and brandished it in front of him.

"Well, we're fucked," Taako stated matter-of-factly, lifting his umbrastaff. "What now, boner squad?"

"Magnus rushes in!" Magnus yelled, swinging Railsplitter once more.

This time, the man didn't go down easily. He weaved effortlessly past every swing. He was so fast that Manus could barely see him move. Magnus was soon put on the defensive, dodging and blocking with his shield.

"Uh, guys?" He shouted, blocking blow after blow, "a little help, please?"

As soon as he spoke, a fireball was launched in his direction. He ducked just in time; the strange man wasn't so lucky. He caught it full in the face- at least, that's what Magnus thought at first. But when the smoke cleared, he realized that he had actually split the fireball in half in midair, leaving the two halves smoldering on the ground behind him.

"What the fuck?" Taako yelled. He ducked as the man shot back a bright white bolt of lightning, setting the wall behind him aflame. 

Merle charged forward with his war hammer and swung at the man's head, but he dodged with ease. With a wave of his hand he slammed Merle into the wall and thorny branches wrapped around him, effectively trapping him.

At least Merle distracted him. Magnus aimed for the man's neck. He was going down-

But the man turned, his sword moving faster than Magnus thought possible. He knew, suddenly, that there was no dodging this hit. He steeled himself. There was no other choice, but it was okay. He could take this-

Someone pushed him out of the way. He stumbled sideways and looked back.

Taako.

Taako took the hit.

The sword went all the way through him, entering through his abdomen with the point sticking from his back. His mouth was frozen in an "O" shape. Blood was slowly spreading from the wound.

Magnus saw red.

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he charged the man one last time, screaming. Since the man's sword was currently hilt deep in an elf, he had no way to block Magnus as he cleanly sliced through his neck, decapitating him. His lifeless body tumbled to the ground and lay still.

As Magnus watched, white smoke drifted from the two parts of the man's body and formed a sphere floating in the air. The sphere condensed until it was the size of the original object they had seen, then dropped to the floor with a clink. The vines holding Merle in place dropped him immediately, and he fell with a comical yelp. The white sword also disappeared, leaving Taako curled in a heap on the ground. Magnus ran to him and flipped him over, tears pricking his eyes.

"Taako! Are you alright?"

"Peachy, my guy..." he coughed, and Magnus saw blood. Too much blood. He shouted for Merle.

"Why, why did you..." Magnus started. He was unsure of what to say. "Why did you jump in front of me?"

Taako laughed. "C'mon, are you really pissed that somebody else took the hit for once? Save some battle glory... for the rest of us..." his eyes were drifting closed. Magnus resisted the urge to slap him and instead squeezed his hand.

"But I can take it, Taako! That's the only thing I'm- I mean, that's my job!"

Taako looked serious, more serious than Magnus had ever seen him. "It's not... your job... to kill yourself for our sake. That's not... that's not how... friends work."

Magnus started to argue. "But, that's not- I'm- I'm the one who protects you guys! That's my thing! It- it doesn't matter if I- I mean-"

Taako held up a hand to cut Magnus off and struggled to sit up. Magnus put a hand on his back to support him. "I guess you're gonna make me say it..." He took a breath, then stared Magnus dead in the eyes. "We care about you, dipshit."

Then Merle arrived, and Taako passed out in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taako was sleeping. Magnus sat by the fire they had made and carved a chunk of wood, staring into the flames.

Why would Taako do that? Didn't he know he could have died? How could Magnus have lived with himself if Taako had gotten killed because of him? Magnus was supposed to be the damage sponge, he was supposed to take the big hits so no one else had to. He was the one who was supposed to protect Taako, not the other way around! Didn't Taako know that? Why would-

"Ow!" He was so lost in thought that he nicked his finger, blood staining the wood. Magnus sighed and tossed the misshapen blob into the fire. He sucked his injured finger, thinking.

Before his thoughts could wander very far, though, Merle stepped out of the tent Taako was in and plopped down next to Magnus.

"How is he?" Magnus asked.

"He's fine," Merle said, his exhaustion obvious. "Couldn't heal him up all the way. Ya know, spell slots. But he'll be fine."

Magnus breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Pan. I was so worried..."

Merle muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?"

Merle looked away. "Now you know how we feel."

"What are you talking about?"

Merle stood up then. He looked angry. "I don't know, Mr. Magnus-Rushes-In, maybe it's just that a certain someone always ends up injured with no second thought for his friends who have to watch him almost die every ten minutes! Now you know how we feel every time you try to protect us using your body as a meat shield! Maybe now," he concluded, sitting back down with a huff, "you'll realize that it hurts to see you, our friend, in pain!"

Magnus sat in stunned silence. Is this... how his friends felt when he protected them at his own expense?

"I'm sorry," Magnus said. He felt nauseous.

Merle sighed. "I know you have this fear of losing those close to you and not being able to do anything to stop it. I get it. But Taako and I? The Director? Angus? Killian, Carey, Avi, Johan, all the people at the Bureau? We have that fear too. We don't want to lose you either, Magnus."

With that, Merle muttered something about getting some sleep and went back into the tent.

Magnus, however, stared into the fire for hours, unable to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This man said he knew you?" The Director said. She looked concerned.

"Yeah, he started spouting all this shit about how we took some power from him, killed his friends and junk," said Taako.

Magnus looked over at Taako. He was almost entirely healed; Merle had assured him that he just needed a little more rest and he would be just fine. But Magnus was still worried. Taako still had circles under his eyes and Magnus could tell by the way he carried himself that his side still hurt at least a little.

The Director nodded, resting her head on her hands. "And this was the only source of arcane energy you found? There were no other... fragments?"

They all shook their heads.

"He knew my name," said Magnus. "I'd never seen him before in my life, though. Do you think it had anything to do with that weird white... thing?"

"Yeah," Merle piped up, "he said it fell from the sky, and that we and our 'friends' took the rest of it from him. What could that mean?"

The Director looked uneasy. "I don't..."She cleared her throat and started again. "I've never heard of anything like that, but I'm sure you did the right thing in bringing it here. It sounds like it could be quite dangerous in the wrong hands. It isn't a relic, though."

"What!" shouted Taako indignantly. "I almost died and it wasn't even a relic?"

The Director sheepishly bowed her head, frowning. "I apologize, boys," she said. "But you have done great work. Thank you for bringing this to me."

After that she shooed the boys from her office, saying she had to find a place to store this artifact. The three all went their separate ways.

Magnus didn't know where to go or what to do. He tried carving, working out, eating, talking to anyone he saw, but he just couldn't shake his mind out of confusing thoughts about him and his friends and protecting them and protecting himself. Finally, he bit the bullet and knocked on Taako's door. A bleary-eyed Taako stumbled to the door, yawning.

"You're disturbing my beauty rest, you know," he said. "A face this beautiful doesn't just happen."

"Sorry." Magnus laughed awkwardly. They both stood there for a second before Taako sighed.

"Well, come on in, I guess."

Taako plopped down onto his bed while Magnus took a hesitant seat beside him. He suddenly realized he had no idea what he wanted to say or how he wanted to say it. He said the first thing that came to mind.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry."

Taako blinked. "For this?" He gestured to his abdomen, lifting up his shirt to reveal a nasty looking scar marring his skin. "It's cool. I was the one who jumped in front of you, dude, it's not like you could have stopped me."

Magnus shook his head. "No, it's-it's not that. I wanted to say... I get it now. Why you were mad at me forever ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"That time when I jumped in front of you," said Magnus. "I got hurt, and you were mad about it. I was confused then but I get it now."

And he did get it. He understood why everyone cared so much, why everyone got so upset when he was hurt and why they wanted him to stop being so reckless.

"I thought it was alright if I got hurt," Magnus continued, thinking out loud now. "If the people that I cared about died, there was no reason for me to keep living anyway, so I threw myself at danger so they would be safe. But it goes both ways." He looked up at Taako. "People care about me too. I realize that now. So I'm sorry for acting the way I have been. I'll keep protecting you, but I'll learn to protect myself too."

Magnus had never said anything that earnest to anyone in his life except Julia. How would Taako react?

"Good." Taako yawned and lay down, shooing Magnus from his room. "Now get out, I'm tired as hell."

Magnus nodded, moving towards the door. Just before he left, Taako muttered from his pillow.

"I'm glad. I fucking hate worrying."

Magnus smiled, and shut the door softly on his way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen I know this probably couldnt ever happen but whatever man. Thanks for reading this far! Love you guys! Come hit me up on tumblr: the-syrup-witch

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading I love you!!!!


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